Freight Tracks issue #10

FREIGHT TRACKS

JUNE 20 2022

#10

Dynamic coupling

new option to reach West coast

FOR WHOM THE BELL RINGS

Rail freight in 2032

CONTENTS JUNE 20 2022

#10 THE FUTURE ISSUE

5 6 14 20 22 23

It’s tough to make predictions

The Future’s Bright, The Future’s Freight

Can hydrogen replace electrification?

Rail freight digital transformation

View from the C-Suite

Dynamic coupling of trains on the run

REGULARS

review 26 news Alstom to supply Traxx DC3 locos to GTS Wabtec offers CN network optimisation For whom the bell rings the Date 38 Keep Railway industry events of the Line: 40 End Really? What were they thinking?

Cover photo: It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.

If you have any stunning photos of freight trains you might like to see on the cover, send them to freighttracks@gmail.com

Publisher & Editor: James Graham editor@freight-tracks.com

Editorial support: Kim Smith Designer: Alex Brown freighttracks@gmail.com

Sales Manager: Martin Kingswell Sales Executive: Peter Dolan Webmaster: Natasha Antony Contributors: Neil Madden, Chris Lewis, Stuart Flitton, Johnathan Webb. Will Huskisson

All rights reserved, No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Multiple copying of the contents of the magazine without prior written consent is forbidden.

Material sent to the editor, whether commissioned or freely submitted, is provided at the contributor’s own risk. Freight Tracks cannot be held responsible for loss of damage however cause. The opinions and views expressed by authors and contributors within Freight Tracks are not necessarily those of the editor or Freight Tracks. We are unable to guarantee the bona ideas of any advertisers.

Copyright: 1435 Media London 2022 1435 Media London 259 Sydenham Road Croydon CR0 2ET United Kingdom

Press releases: editor@freight-tracks.com www.freight-tracks.com June 20 2022 n 3

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Our cover on June 21, 2032?

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It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future.

Yogi Berra, American baseball player

2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034 2035

P

erhaps the most famous quote about the early years of The Beatles - “Groups of guitars are on the way out, Mr Epstein” - shows that even the best informed individuals can call it wrong. Dick Rowe, head of Decca Records, knew exactly why his company should not sign the famous mop tops from Liverpool in 1962.

Rowe denied ever having said this. He went on to sign the Rolling Stones after their audition, thanks to an introduction and encouragement from George Harrison.

This issue of Freight Tracks is about predicting what the rail freight industry may look like in a decade. Some of the ideas on the mocked up front cover on the left might go the way of Rowe’s forecasting - double-stack container trains in the United Kingdom, a freight maglev working somewhere in the world in 2032 - probably China - and Russia re-guaging its mainlines. We would assume such a story meant changing to the ‘Stephenson’ standard guage.

In the issue of Freight Tracks a decade from this week, our lead story suggests ‘FedEx Rail’ is attempting to buy a Class 1 freight railroad.

Parcels shipments have grown strongly around the world since the Covid crisis shut

so many stores and businesses, giving a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for e-Commerce to take off.

Express delivery companies, such as FedEx and DHL, already use fast, intermodal services in many countries to load road trailers on flatcars. As modal shift sees more parcels traffic, is it inconceivable these companies might venture into running and owning their own trains in many of their major markets?

And if they do invest in their own railway companies, might they look to expand?

Could such an operation actually grow large enough to take over a Class 1 line in the United States?

Freight Tracks writers

Our team of writers have reached out their contacts to as just what the freight railway might be like in a decade; what will power freight trains; and look at the some of the prospective technological developments that managers and customers might be familar with in a decade’s time.

In a decade, we will look back at some of our predictions and see which ones are hits and which ones were misses. www.freight-tracks.com June 20 2022 n 5

THE FUTURE THE FUTURE

Rail freight in 2032

There are decades where nothing happens, and weeks where decades happen. Will Huskisson does not share Vladimir Lenin’s poetic insight, but knows a few insiders better placed to take the long view, and predict whether the rail freight industry faces a decade of weeks, or a week like no other.

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E’S BRIGHT, E’ST FREIGHT

Rail freight in 2032

here is a short film, made about 1910, shot from a street car trundling up a cobbled Fifth Avenue. Hardly any of the Manhattan landmarks are there yet. Trinity Church still towers over Wall Street. New York is a smokestack town, driven by thousands of horses and, as the camera takes startled note, one solitary motor car.

A decade later, the same scene shows scaffolding erecting skyscrapers, and thousands of trucks, vans and automobiles. Under the paved street, subway cars run.

Unnoticed by the camera, a solitary, lonely, horse pulls a ramshackle cart. Radical change happens rapidly, yet often, it’s hardly noticed at all.

Like that first New York automobile, a curiosity today is a harbinger of a radically different future.

That might be the case with a curiosity in Wellingborough, near Derby, that rail technology city set to play a resurgent part in future freight development.

Furrer+Frey GB, who favour the curiously Swiss styling of their parent company, demonstrated a game changing power supply system that would allow electric locomotives to enter goods yards, literally under their own power. “The electrification of freight terminals is the biggest technological hurdle to net zero rail freight and we have just overcome it,” says Noel Dolphin, their Head of UK projects. Witness then, the overhead line retracting, power down, and let in reach stackers, mechanical shovels and cranes to safely discharge the cargo.

Notwithstanding GBRf’s pragmatic acquisition of a modern fleet of bi-mode locomotives, electric traction answers the big holistic issue: cli4 mate change.

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T H E F U T U R E ’ S B R I G H T,

Ongoing development

Chris Swan, who leads rail development for Tarmac, and one of rail freight’s largest customers, says decarbonising transport has been highlighted as a key means of achieving the government-mandated requirement for net zero across industry at large. “The ongoing development of our rail freight capabilities forms part of Tarmac’s wider commitment to

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Rail freight in 2032

reducing CO2,” he said.

That carbon reduction imperative could yet be the biggest driver in rail freight’s next decade of development. Whether this disunited kingdom remains intact or not, Scotland has gone its own way, and leads the field in rail freight strategy for the future. Bill Reeve, who addresses rail matters for the Edinburgh government’s Transport Scotland agency, recently told an industry audience that perhaps thirty or forty additional Anglo-Scottish intermodal trains per day would be needed to answer growing demand, and almost all of them on the West Coast Main Line.

In context, that’s around a doubling of traffic north of the border, before even considering potential new flows like timber from Caithness and even mineral water from the soon to be commissioned private terminal in Blackford, Perthshire.

New flows are on the mind of experienced observer Julian Worth at Victa Railfreight. “I envisage a sustained switch in domestic trunking to rail, led by Anglo-Scottish flows but by no means restricted to this axis.

Highland Spring [at Blackford], Tesco and Coca Cola are the precursors of a much wider switch, much of which will use multi-customer trains operated by the likes of Malcolm, Russell and Maritime. Logically, the big third party logistics companies would also run multi-customer trains.”

Potential of freeports

Raise a glass too for the UK Government’s Union Connectivity Review - a political response to perceived nationalism among the four nations. Lest the importance of the rail sector be underestimated, the chair of the review was none less than Sir Peter Hendy, the don of Network Rail. His offer, which the government would do well not to refuse, puts more traffic on to serving overseas trade as an answer to avoiding disintegration of more than just the railway network.

“Improve connectivity to seaports across the United Kingdom by enhancing rail freight connections,” he said.

“Maximise the potential of freeports by investing in improved connectivity to and from these economic hubs.”

Certainly, the freeport model and their slightly more righteous Scottish equivalent have the potential to foster rail freight expansion. Julian Worth observes that the technological changes in the steel industry will have implications for ports and rail alike. “The steel industry may be transitioning from blast furnaces to electric arc production, which would see the end of iron and coking coal rail moves to Scunthorpe, but a substantial increase in tonnages of scrap metal from urban areas to Port Talbot and Scunthorpe as the basic raw material. Most of this scrap is currently exported and moves by road to docks.

Maggie Simpson, whom people like Peter Hendy and Julian Worth have on speed-dial, is confident her counterpart at Network Rail is on the right lines.

“Over the next decade I am certain we will see significant growth, as new customers look to increase their use of sustainable transport 4

Maggie Simpsom: Over the next decade I am certain we will see significant growth

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Rail freight in 2032

T H E F U T U R E ’ S B R I G H T, modes,” says the Director General of the Rail Freight Group.

“For the sector, digitisation has the potential to really transform how we work, driving efficiencies and improving performance, as well as making for a better working environment. Digitisation will also be important

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Julian Worth: I’d see the rail market share rising to over 50% by 2032, as the relative costs of road and rail trunking continue to shift in our favour in supporting carbon reduction, along with alternative fuels, new locomotives and greater use of the electrified rail network.”

Julian Worth doesn’t see manufacturing reshoring to the UK, but he does foresee yet more intermodal traffic as a result.

“I’d see the rail market share rising from around 30% at present to over 50% by 2032, as the relative costs of road and rail trunking continue to shift in our favour,” he says.

“I would expect short sea intermodal from East Coast ports to grow significantly. Trans Pennine will be W12 cleared by then. Channel Tunnel intermodal should also grow significantly, but it’ll need someone to act as aggregator. Block trains, such as Toyota, are much more straightforward and more can be expected to develop.”

Infrastructure issue

Continued development of strategic rail freight interchanges (SRFIs) is also an infrastructure issue exercising many stakeholders. Smaller terminals where warehousing isn’t an integral part of the mix, says Julian Worth, would open up areas such as the South West and Norfolk. He says smaller terminals, handling smaller delivery loads, could serve urban ar-

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THE FUTURE’S FREIGHT

Rail freight in 2032

eas too.

Representative bodies like the Rail Freight Group have an increasingly important role, as all shades of political ideology move further towards involvement in the rial industry - although nationalisation as an ultimate goal is still not in anyone’s manifesto.

Rachael Maskell, the Labour MP for York, and as railway as it gets, foresees her constituency taking an even greater role in ten years time, and her constituents will play as great a part as ever. Nonetheless, there is a challenge in adapting to find the skills necessary to keep pace with the changes coming down the line.

“We are going to see massive transformation in our rail sector,” she says.

“We all know that the technology is coming around advanced, digital rail. We need to think about how we plan around the workforce to see the change in skills that we are going to need in the future. Those technologies are being advanced at the moment and Rachael Maskell, we want to make sure we’ve got a Labour MP for workforce which is ready for that.”

York: As railway Alluding to the importance of a as it gets wholesale technological upgrade is no bad thing. Some existing railway systems have more familiarity with the world of Charles Dickens than the worlds of Captain Kirk. The railway is however accelerating into the space age, and putting Artificial Intelligence concepts into harness.

One instance stands out, and will be nearing completion in ten years: HS2. That freight- averse project may yet find itself providing a technologically advanced express logistics corridor like no other, moving high-value goods between London and Birmingham and who knows where else, city centre to city centre.

The HS2 Innovation Accelerator programme - for there is such a thing - is harnessing science fiction level hi-tech to smooth the way for terminal operations.

Although aimed at stress-free passenger flows in the first instance, the application of powerful AI and laser-based LiDAR, developed by the automotive industry, could also help steer autonomous delivery vehicles, as they spirit away high-value cargo from Curzon Street to prestige clients in Digbeth and the Jewellery Quarter.

Taking note are parties like the University of Birmingham - recently awarded grant funding for rail innovation - and passenger train operating companies, most notably Avanti West Coast, who may just have an4

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T H E F U T U R E ’ S B R I G H T, interest too. The critical interest though is from Network Rail, which has already committed resources to a wholesale resurgence of express logistics.

Although still somewhat under the LiDAR, Network Rail has a task force closely examining the potential for express logistics at all of the major stations under its management.

Westminster too has express freight on the agenda. The recent Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail expect to see the railways back in that market, long before our ten-year horizon. “Stations can play a bigger role in their local communities by providing opportunities for new, innovative services.” says the report.

“This could include on-demand shopping collection, small-scale freight, and public services.”

Already embracing changes of aspect on the rails, driver Heather Waugh does the Anglo-Scottish routes that Bill Reeve expects to become much busier in the coming decade. She, and her colleagues in the cabs, would like to see more than just market development go faster.

“A particular frustration for me is the speed restriction of 75 mph,” Heather says, talking of the limiter on the double-headed electric intermodal loads she hauls.

“Currently, due to limitations in the overhead line equipment, we run at around 60% of potential full power. Improve the OHLE, remove the limiters, raise the maximum speed for freight trains that can reach higher speeds.”

Heather’s most pragmatic demands are shared by the industry at large: longer trains, better paths, a fairer share of the tracks.

Martin Gleadow, a solutions architect who heads up projects at 3Squared, the Sheffield-based innovators and rail tech deities, would like to help.

He agrees with Heather (and Lenin) that a lot can change in ten years.

“My hope is that we will have significantly more electric freight trains, enabled through infill schemes and innovative technology such as the First of a Kind funded retractable freight yard electrification project,” he says. “There will still be a need for mainline speed and power capable non electric traction to enable maximum benefits to be realised.”

More ambitiously, says Martin, with an eye over the Midland Main

4 Heather Waugh: Does the Anglo-Scottish routes

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Line which services his headquarters, the next ten years will bring more high speed freight both through ideas like parcels as passengers and through technical and policy changes.

“If a train can safely stop quicker through modernised braking systems on every wagon capable of wheel slip protection, then freight can be pathed faster and is easier to fit into the timetable,” he explains.

“This unlocks options to review prioritisation of services, and will increase the benefits from ETCS [European Train Control Systems]. With closer line speed you increase network capacity.”

Green signals

Good news then for Heather, eager to drop the hammer up Beattock.

Martin would be happy to see her given the green signals afforded by freight’s unlikeliest ally.

“Alongside HS2 - ideally built to the full extent of proposed plans this will provide much more capacity to streamline and modernise supply chains to meet the demands of society and ambitions of the country, while removing congestion and pollution from the roads,” concludes Martin, with a view to clearing the paths for Heather and Bill Reeve’s extra trains crossing the Border, bringing much more than cheques and postal orders.

Decade of change

If there is to be a decade of change, then perhaps the change is already happening. Having stabled the horses for the night, might we wake up to autonomous express logistics trains, delivering to repurposed passenger terminals, and bulk loading under retractable wires.

Who was that streetcar riding film maker on Fifth Avenue back in 1910? Probably Henry Ford … or maybe Lenin.

Heather Waugh: A particular frustration for me is the speed restriction of 75 mph www.freight-tracks.com June 20 2022 n 13

Rail freight in 2032

Can hydrog electrifica

T

here is a joke among rail journalists that the UK Government would rather spend millions researching anything as a source of traction power, than actually investing in electrification. While this is no doubt being over dramatic, like all good jokes, there is more than a ring of truth to it.

The fear at the moment is that hydrogen will be used as an excuse not to electrify routes, even when that is by far the better option. It’s worth noting that the overall efficiency of a hydrogen train is about the third of that of an electric train. Electrification projects in the UK are expensive because of their sporadic nature, with every project requiring new skills development, new supply chains and new logistics and project management. If there was an ongoing electrification programme, the skills and supply chains could be retained, resulting in a dramatic lowering of costs.

It was 2007 when Sir Richard Branson launched Europe’s first biodiesel passenger train. The press were taken on a spin from London Euston to Kensington and back and upon their return to London were greeted by the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown who enthused over the Virgin Voyager’s green credentials.

Last year, it being the European Year of Rail, attention once again turned to the rail industry and its long history of innovation, sustainability initiatives and new technology.

Rail has long been recognised as a clean, green mode of transport. In its Rail Emissions 2019-2020 report, the Office of Rail and Road stated that for passenger trains, diesel usage increased by 1.5% compared to 2018-2019. However, the resulting CO2e emissions for passenger trains have fallen to 35.1g CO2e per passenger km. This is the lowest level recorded since the comparative data series started in 2011-2012.

Electricity is the only alternative

The only realistic alternative to petroleum is electricity – wherever it may come from. To illustrate the UK’s dependence on oil, in 2018 UK transport was responsible for the consumption of 55.2 million tonnes of oil whilst the nation’s total electricity consumption (not just transportation) was equivalent to 30.1 million tonnes of oil.

Trains, along with trams and trolley buses, are the most efficient users of electricity when it comes to transportation, as they can be powered directly from it, without having to store and carry their electrical energy wherever they go. It’s worth remembering that next time

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gen replace ation? one sees a diesel hauled heavy freight rumbling through a station, it is ultimately being powered by electric traction motors, even if that electricity is being generated by an onboard diesel engine! Earlier this year, we had the bizarre situation where Freightliner replaced much of its electric hauled trains with diesel traction, due to the huge increase in electricity costs.

Unlike conventional electric trains, which draw power from overhead cables, battery and hydrogen powered trains are lumbered with carrying their own electricity with them. Hydrogen is produced by electrolysis, where electricity splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydro-

In 2021, Progress Rail, BNSF and Chevron USA), a subsidiary of Chevron Corporation, announced a memorandum of understanding to advance the demonstration of a locomotive powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

gen cells are then used to generate the electricity that powers the train – in essence a reversal of the electrolysis process. One advantage that battery power has over hydrogen is that it is simpler and more efficient.

This pales into insignificance, when one considers that the range of a hydrogen powered train is significantly superior to that of a battery powered train – due mainly to the energy of hydrogen being double that of a battery pack.

As it stands currently, only hydrogen has the ability to give a passenger train a range of 1000 km a day. For all its benefits, it would be a mistake to view hydrogen as a panacea for railway traction, for it only has an eighth of the energy density of diesel – thus meaning that fuel storage tanks have to be eight time larger.

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Rail freight in 2032

Can hydrogen replace electrification a Train manufacturer Siemens commented in the Rail Safety and Standards report “Options for traction energy decarbonisation in rail” that the efficiencies of various forms of traction from the original energy source to power at the wheels are:

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Overhead line electrification 80% Battery traction 65% Hydrogen 35% Diesel 25% In its decarbonisation taskforce report, the rail industry concluded that only by a mix of electric, battery and hydrogen traction can the aim of a net-zero carbon railway be achieved. Calculations show that approximately 350 hydrogen vehicles are required, the balance being made up of battery and conventional electric traction, by 2030 if the net-zero

dream is to be realised. With over 1000 second generation Sprinter diesels expected to be withdrawn by then, hydrogen trains could be viewed as a natural replacement in many instances.

Freight operators begin to turn away from diesel

Away from passenger trains, hydrogen is beginning to be taken seriously by freight operators, with Canada Pacific (CP) reaching a milestone with its hybrid hydrogen/battery project on 30 November last year. T

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s a power source for freight trains? his saw the prototype unit move under its own power for the first time – work on the conversion having commenced in late 2020. The locomotive has had its diesel fuel tanks replaced by an extraction battery system, with the cooling system and radiator fans being replaced by the hydrogen storage. Fuel cells have been installed in the space vacated by the diesel engine and alternator.

CP chief engineer Kyle Mulligan said “We are building this in a way that is modular so that we can retrofit existing platforms.”

He continued by saying “We do not purchase new locomotives as much as one would think, we reutilise our existing platforms, we modernise their electronics. We rebuild the engines and then give them a new life. When we purchase a locomotive, they are typically 50 year assets,” Mulligan explained.

“If we were to invest in Tier 4 locomotives today, we would quickly find ourselves post-2050 still burning diesel fuel.”

The CP hybrid locomotive has the capability to almost match that of a diesel engine, but the train operator also said that this was challenging.

Another country taking tentative steps to eliminate, or at least reduce, the use of diesel traction on its networks is China. In November last year, the country’s first hydrogen freight locomotive started trial running in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. With a design speed of 80 km/h, an ability to run for over 24 hours when fully loaded with hydrogen, and a maximum traction load of 5,000 tonnes, the locomotive has already put in some impressive performances hauling coal trains from the Baiyinhua coal mine in Inner Mongolia with the port of Jinzhou in northeast China’s Liaoning Province. It is estimated that the hydrogen locomotive will reduce carbon emissions by about 80 kg per 10,000-ton kilometre, when compared to comparable diesel traction.

In July last year, funding was secured for the conversion of a Freightliner class 66 to operate with hydrogen and biogas fuel. Funding for the work was as a result of the Department for Transport’s, in partnership with Innovate UK, ‘First of a Kind’ competition – created to test new ideas and concepts that could be adapted for use in the transportation sector. Using technology developed by UK-based Clean Air Power, the class 66 has been fitted with the company’s precision injection technology, allowing the two-stroke diesel locomotive to run on a combination of diesel, biogas and hydrogen. The nine month trial, which commenced in May this year, signals the first time that this technology has been demonstrated on a freight locomotive – although it has proved successful when applied to road vehicles. It is hoped that this development will prove to be a pathfinder for decarbonising other class 66s, which are responsible for carrying over 80% of rail freight in the UK. Thirty projects were awarded a share of £9 million, with Clean Air Power securing almost £400,000.

A number of other rail companies within Europe are also taking steps to develop hydrogen powered freight traction. In the UK a class 08 diesel shunter is in the process of being rebuilt as a hydrogen test loco- 4

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Can hydrogen replace electrification as a power source for freight trains? motive by Vanguard Sustainable Transport Solutions, together with the University of Birmingham’s rail transportation department. Named the Harrier HydroShunter project, the 350 hp diesel engine will be replaced by hydrogen fuel cells which will provide power to the existing traction motors.

In Poland, rail engineering company Pesa unveiled a rebuilt 800 hp SM42 shunting locomotive in September last year.

The prototype is fitted with four 180 kW traction motors, powered by two hydrogen cells. the locomotive was rebuilt from an old SM42 locomotive, the majority of which date from the 1970s and 1980s, using the original underframe. A noticeable exterior difference between the original and rebuilt versions is the relocating of the driving cab to a central position.

Russian Railways (RZD) and engineering company Sinara have not only agreed to build prototype hydrogen locomotives, but RZD has announced that it will not purchase any diesel traction after 2025.

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It’s not all good news

Although hydrogen fuel cells are emission free in operation, the production process is often energy neutral – that is it takes almost as much energy to produce in relation to the energy created. The act of electrolysis, as mentioned earlier, requires electricity to separate the water and hydrogen molecules.

This will most likely come from natural gas power plants. For hydrogen production to be carbon-free, solar or wind power would be needed to generate the required electricity – something that is not practical in most situations.

The simple act of storing hydrogen isn’t without its problems, for compressing the gas results in a loss of around 13% of the total energy contained within it.

However, these hurdles often fade into insignificance when compared with the cost of providing the necessary infrastructure to support hydrogen powered vehicles – something that has often been blamed on holding back the move towards it as a power source.

What a scorcher!

While trying to reduce harmful emissions is undoubtably good for the environment, the earth will gradually heat up whether we take action or nor.

Scientists predict that the sun’s increasing luminosity – it’s expected to swell to 100 times its current size – will result in the oceans boiling dry, before it extinguishes and the earth becomes a cold, dark planet unable to support life. This dramatic ending is not expected to occur for another billion years, so we can only guess what traction will be in use by then!

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The simple act of storing hydrogen isn’t without its problems

news review headline news

Rail freight in 2032

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Rail freight in 2032

RAIL FREIGHT DIGITAL TRANSFORMATI In a major insight report on rail freight digital transformation covering sales outlook, demand forecast & up-to-date key trends, Nikhil Kaitwade, principal consultant at Dubaibased consultants Future Market Insights looks ten years into the future.

I

n a 250-page report, Nikhil Kaitwde writes the rail freight digital transformation market is likely to register a CAGR of 8.4% during the forecast period and is anticipated to reach a market share of $142.68 billion by 2032, from $63.69 billion in 2022.

The rail freight digital transformation solution and services are creating new opportunities which are more agile to transform the rail freight digital transformation market share by developing new models and freight management systems to monitor the core operations of

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the rail freight digital transformation market.

According to the Future Market Insight’s report, changes in consumer behavior, robust innovations, and expanding distribution networks continue to influence the growth of the demand for rail freight digital transformation and the rail freight digital transformation market.

Rail freight transportation refers to rails or trains to transport goods and cargo over long distances across cities and countries. They are typically used for trans-

Rail freight in 2032

ION MARKET OVERVIEW 2022-2032 porting bulk commodities and goods from the source to the intended destination hauled by locomotives on the railroads.

However, past few years, the rail freight transportation sector has been highly influenced by digital transformation services to improve operational efficiency and optimize infrastructure costs.

Digital technologies such as cloud computing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), 5G, cyber security, big data, and analytics have transformed the rail freight digital transformation market positively.

COVID-19 has had a considerable influence on the demand for rail freight digital transformation and sales of rail freight digital transformation since its inception.

Disruptions in the electronic supply-value chain and raw material supply have harmed the rail freight digital transformation market.

The acceptance of remote working, on the other hand, has had a favourable influence on the demand for rail freight digital transformation and sales of rail freight digital transformation. A good outlook is projected as a result of the rapid focus on integrating digital techniques and big data analytics in the IT services and technology industries.

Technology vendors such as SAP, DXC Technologies, Ericsson, VTG, and others are doing strategic collaborations with governments around the world for multi-year contracts to revolutionize rail freight transportation via digitization.

The rising demand for rail freight digital transformation promotes the adoption of cutting-edge technologies to complement the traditional rail freight supply chain to build a robust digital foundation to automate operations, maintenance, safety, and other core functions with increased efficiency.

What is the Analysis for the Demand for Rail Freight Digital Transformation Market?

“An aging traditional rail freight transportation network to boost demand rail freight digital transformation market” Rail freight transportation is traditionally an ancient industry. The aging rail infrastructure is failing to fulfill the growing demand for rail freight digital transforma-

tion year-on-year. With the tremendous increase in the pace of technology and digital services, the rail freight transportation infrastructure is disrupting at a very high level.

The use of technologies such as 5G and LTE for highspeed connectivity, cloud infrastructure for scalability and backend rail freight operations, cyber security systems for rail safety, etc., is revolutionizing the demand for rail freight digital transformation and sales of rail freight digital transformation which in turn helps in upsurging of rail freight digital transformation market share. These technological breakthroughs would provide immense growth opportunities in the rail freight digital transformation market sales in the next 5 years.

Which is the Key Region in the Rail Freight Digital Transformation Market?

The Asia Pacific has one of the busiest and most extensive rail networks globally and is estimated to emerge as a highly lucrative region for rail freight digital transformation market share.

As China’s One Belt, One Road (OBOR) global development strategy is gaining traction, the rail freight volumes in the Asia Pacific region tends to increase. According to China Railway, rail freight volume for goods in China in 2018 was 4.0 billion tonnes and is estimated to reach 4.8 billion tonnes by 2020.

Moreover, Indian Railway plans to triple its rail freight volume by 2030. Such massive freight volume statistics show the growth and opportunities for rail freight digital transformation market share in Asia Pacific countries to escalate the demand for digital transformation and rail freight digital transformation sales.

Digital technologies have emerged as a critical driver for the rail freight digital transformation market in the Asia Pacific region. The use of IoT, 5G, Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) techniques, and cybersecurity for rail freight management has streamlined the operations and reduced the costs.

In the coming years, the governments in the Asia Pacific region are making big investments to implement the rail freight digital transformation market to surge demand for rail freight digital transformation along with sales of rail freight digital transformation.

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View from the C-Suite Dennis Wilmot, President & CEO, Iron Horse Logistics Group, Ohio, USA

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/ What is the likelihood of driverless freight trains in 2032 on the major freight lines?

I think there will be some autonomous trains but do believe most rail traffic will still be hauled by crewed engines.

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‘Modal-shift’ is a big talking point in 2022. What will we be saying about it in ten years?

I’m not sure this is new. Truck, rail, Intermodal, have always been fighting for market share from each other. In 10 years they will still be positioning themselves for it. This assume we maintain some level of a capitalist economy that allows competition to drive innovation.

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/ There are female CEOs in rail freight at present.

What will the percentage of female CEOs likely be in ten years time?

I hope companies put into those leadership positions the right people, not just women. If females are the best leaders they should be in those positions. I know there is a push for this so expect it to be 50% within 10-15 years.

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Diesel will still have a role but my assumption is that over the next 10 years it will diminish purposefully and be replaced with cleaner-burning fuels, possibly cleaner burning diesel (not to fully contradict myself), but hydrogen, electric and other options will be in play.

This is somewhat an untapped industry. The interest is growing and thus investment will follow. Any technology that can improve the carrier service and the customer experience should excel.

De-carbonistation is very much on the menu now.

In ten years, can diesel still have a role in powering freight trains?

4

/ If coal disappears as a traffic across much of the rail network by 2032 what can replace it?

I personally don’t think it will disappear, if for no other reason than export. India, China and other major consumers of coal have no guidelines to block the use of coal. While domestic consumption will continue to decline, and probably the total volume will decline, it will not disappear.

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/ The gender-balance in the rail freight industry is in flux. How ‘female’ will rail freight be in ten years?

I expect to see a growing percentage of female leaders in management but not a huge change in labour.

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/ What areas of technology in rail freight do you consider offer interesting prospects for development by 2032?

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/ Where do you see IT in rail freight in 2032?

Following Q7 I believe tech is key to the future of rail.

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/ Where do you see the sector of rail freight in which your company currently operates, in 2032?

Many changes, but in the end it will always boil down to relationships, trust and service. This will always be our focus.

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0/ Personally, is it likely you will still be in the rail freight industry in 2032? If so, what will have kept you in?

I will personally be 75 by then, but I expect to still be engaged, just at a different level of participation.

Dynamic coupling of trains on the run in 2032?

Rail freight in 2032

A start-up in 2022 might be delivering a technology that is commonplace in a decade.

A

n innovative technological project from an Israeli start-up is the Dynamic Coupling’ (DC) system, which introduces a new method and means to physically and quickly couple/decouple freight trains on-the-run.

The ‘Dynamic Coupling’ kit, developed by DTS (DirecTrainSystems), enables existing trains platooning without the need of an extensive and reliable V2V communication layer deployment and without requiring full ATO (autonomous train operation).

Dynamic coupling of trains and cars will facilitate modular, convenient and efficient combining of several trains/ wagons in a single track slot, saving time and energy, says the company. Simulations and research prove feasibility for trains to couple at speed of 120 km/h and higher, withstanding safety requirements. This can be particularly valuable to large scale players in the parcels delivery industry who will be able to save expenses on shipping and handling of goods while providing better services.

The beginning

According to Dr Leah Mandler, Vice President Marketing, DirecTrains, was established formally in 2021, but the project team has been working on it for three years.

She says: “Being able to couple trains on the run, without changing the original train track occupation is a revolution!

We believe freight transport can adopt our technology more easily than passenger provided that it does not require public acceptance and it can show the gains of the technology very quickly, proving the safety of our solution. Freight can help people adopt the concept of dynamically connecting trains in motion and be the leader of this revolution.”

The leading advantages for rail freight from dynamic coupling of trains on the run are outlined by Alberto (Tito) Mandler, DTS CEO. It would create more opportunities for freight to move without the necessity to create new timetabling slots.

This is especially useful to the growing parcels sector. In a number of markets, high speed parcel operations are trying to find paths between existing passenger, freight and inter-

modal trains. The opportunity to couple with a fast passenger service will allow the parcel operator to run a service without a extra path added to the timetable. At a certain location, the train is then decouple and the parcel service can arrive at its destination.

Dr Mandler says: “We do describe DirecTrains as a disruptor, mostly because the demand for rail will increase substantially as a result of our technology. So far, we have been self funded, precisely in this period we are opening up in search for partners to create a consortium which will help finilizing the development of a prototype and testing it, as well as funding for all this activity. We are looking for visionary partners not deterred by the scope of the project.”

With new railroad projects in the Middle East, such as Etihad Rail, are they getting much interest from DTS’s home region?

She says: “We haven’t approached them yet because our initial focus is on Europe as we already have several European partners. The rail is getting a boost in many places around the world lately, but we are concentrating on finishing the prototype and testing it before we approach projects like Etihad Rail..

“We believe there will be a huge demand everywhere as soon as the prototype passes the full scale testing. At first, the prototype will match a specific rolling stock selected by our partners (in the consortium), so the first customers will have an advantage of selecting the target rolling stock. Later we will expand our support for other rolling stock models according to demand. European rail manufacturers and providers will probably be the first but we are open to proposals and collaborations already.”

www.freight-tracks.com June 20 2022 n 23

news review

Alstom to supply 20 Traxx D

A

lstom, global leader in smart and sustainable mobility, has signed an agreement with GTS Rail, a Bari-based company that operates in intermodal rail freight transport, for the supply of 20 Traxx DC3 electric locomotives, named E.494 in Italy. The first locomotives will be delivered from the beginning of 2024.

This new order brings the number of Traxx DC3 - E.494 locomotives in GTS Rail’s fleet to 33 (eight of which are equipped with Last Mile function), for a total of 45 Alstom locomotives, including Traxx DC2 - E.483.

“We are extremely proud to have signed this new agreement with GTS Rail, our long-standing customer and partner. This important contract, confirming a highly successful and valuable collaboration, follows the agreement signed in January 2022 for the supply of five E.494 locomotives equipped with Last Mile function. All locomotives designed for the Italian market have been and will be produced at Alstom’s Vado Ligure site,” says Michele Viale, Managing Director of Alstom Italy and Chairman and CEO of Alstom Ferroviaria.

The Traxx DC3 locomotive is the latest generation of high-power electric locomotives that maximises efficiency, minimises maintenance interventions, and provides higher load and traction capability with lower energy consumption.

One of the most interesting features is the possibility to equip the locomotive with Last Mile function, allowing new operating concepts through which the locomotive can be used on non-electrified lines, often found in ports, industrial areas or terminals. The agreement signed for the supply of 20 locomotives includes the option to purchase Last Mile function according to GTS Rail’s discretion.

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DC3 locomotives for GTS Rail

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news review

Wabtec offers CN network optimisation with PDS launch

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abtec has launched its new Precision Dispatch System (PDS) with an order from CN. The deal marks a major step toward network automation for CN and the entire rail industry.

“CN is leading the industry in rail network optimisation as the launch customer for the Precision Dispatch System,” said Nalin Jain, President of Wabtec’s Digital Electronics business.

“This system is the first-ofits-kind and acts as a command-and-control system at the heart of railroad operations. CN will be able to increase capacity, improve efficiency, and safety across its more than 20,000mile network.”

Wabtec’s Precision Dispatch System is designed to move trains safely and efficiently across the rail network in both signaled and dark territory, as well as provide full visibility of network conditions and monitor all devices in the network. Precision Dispatch analyzes data coming from all rolling stock and wayside device assets and Positive Train

Control (PTC). With this information, the system provides advanced automation through end-to-end electronic delivery of mandatory directives and automatic implementation of authorities in dark territory. Precision Dispatch helps eliminate human error, reduce maintenance and operating costs, and realize safe and efficient rail operations.

“Our focus is running a safe and efficient railroad, and constantly improving our infrastructure,” said Dominique Malenfant, Chief Information and Technology Officer for CN. “The Precision Dispatch System represents an import-

ant step forward in our network optimization. This solution is designed to enable us to maximize the potential of our rail network and will protect the safety of employees.”

Wabtec expects its Precision Dispatch System to be operational at CN in late 2023. After a phased rollout, there will be a total of 37 desks in CN’s control center utilising this advanced software.

This deal marks an important milestone in Wabtec’s strategy to optimise today’s rail network, further streamline dispatch execution, and improve safety and service delivery.

Another win for Freightliner at UK’s Multi Modal awards UNITED KINGDOM Freightliner has won the Rail Freight Company of the Year category at the annual Multi Modal 2022 trade fair awards in Birmingham, UK. This win is almost a clean sweep for the company at the awards as its makes five wins out of six since this category was introduced in 2016.

In a statement, the company said: “An amazing achievement which is credit to the fantastic hard work and dedication of the Freightliner team.

“Congratulations Freightliner!”

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NS partnership to give shippers a new option to reach West Coast UNITED STATES Norfolk Southern Corporation has launched OceaNS Bridge Express, a new partnership with Hapag-Lloyd, Union Pacific Railroad and the Port of Virginia to provide expedited service from the US East Coast to the Western United States, giving shippers a new option to reach West Coast markets.

OceaNS Bridge Express, a first-of-its-kind service, will originate at the Norfolk International Terminal at the Port of Virginia and interchange with Union Pacific in Chicago, with connections to West Coast markets.

“The current environment has led shippers and carriers to think creatively about moving their goods,” said Shawn Tureman, Vice President Intermodal & Automotive Marketing for Norfolk Southern. “In response, our team took a customer-centric ap-

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proach by formulating a partnership with Hapag-Lloyd and Union Pacific, providing a new option for shipping to markets in the Western United States.”

Union Pacific said its network is a perfect fit for this new overland service.

“Union Pacific’s Intermodal network is strategically positioned to provide container shippers an alternative with this overland service to the West Coast,” said Kari Kirchhoefer, Vice President-Premium, Marketing and Sales for Union Pacific.

“Our joint service product to Seattle/Oakland/Los Angeles/Long Beach will expedite these transatlantic shipments to consumer markets in the west.”

“The OceaNS Bridge Express showcases our collective, leading Intermodal capabilities, moving containers quickly from an East Coast origin to West Coast destinations. Together, we are providing a sustainable and effective coast-to-coast solution to the challenges shippers currently face at West Coast ports,” added Tureman.

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news review

FOR WHOM THE BELL RINGS

UNITED STATES Norfolk Southern Corporation rang The Opening Bell at the New York Stock Exchange, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the historic merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway that created Norfolk Southern on June 1 1982.

Joining President and CEO Alan H. Shaw and the Norfolk Southern senior executive team on the bell podium was a group of six craft railroaders from the company’s operations division/ These individuals represented the men and women

who move America’s economy every day by the rail supply chain.

“Forty years since the merger that created Norfolk Southern, and nearly 200 years since the founding of our first predecessor railroad in 1827, we continue to play an essential role serving our customers and powering our nation’s economy,” said Shaw.

“Norfolk Southern has a rich history, a vital purpose and a bright future.”

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North Sea Port shift another 15,000 containers from road to rail between Belgium and Italy ITALY Belgian operator Lineas is launching a new intermodal rail link for freight between North Sea Port and Piadena in Italy.

The daily intermodal train will run from the Interface Terminal at Kluizendok in Ghent in North Sea Port to the Pesanti terminal at Piadena in Italy.

Europe’s largest private rail freight operator Lineas is seeing rapidly growing demand for more intermodal capacity between Belgium and Italy. Following the earlier launch of the Ghent-Segrate train in 2021, the company is adding another intermodal connection between North Sea Port and Italy with five round trips per week.

The new line connects with the Pesanti terminal in Piadena, in the middle of the Milan – Verona – Bologna triangle, one of Italy’s most important industrial regions. The train will carry cargo including chemicals, steel, tiles, household goods, bulk goods and powders in various types of containers.

Decarbonise

Lars Redeligx, Chief Commercial Officer at Lineas: “Customers today are really looking to decarbonise their supply chains with smart and green rail transportation, and that is exactly what we want to help them do. On top of the 70 trains we already operate between Belgium and Italy, we are now creating additional capacity to enable a further 15,000 containers

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to be switched to rail. This will be great for the climate, with nine times fewer CO2 emissions compared to road transport and therefore 9000 fewer tons of CO2 pumped into the atmosphere every year”.

Lineas is the first operator to use the Pesanti terminal for intermodal rail freight.

Since the Segrate terminal is in great demand and is at capacity, Piadena (150km from Milan) offers a second access point to Italy. Lineas has already moved nearly 10,000 containers since the launch of the Ghent-Segrate link a year ago.

Enhanced cooperation with North Sea Port

The Ghent-Piadena link represents a strong addition to the quality rail offer that North Sea Port and Lineas have developed over recent years. With connections to Italy and Sweden, the partnership currently eliminates more than 30,000 truck journeys (round trips) around the port and well into the European hinterland.

Daan Schalck, CEO of North Sea Port said: “We continue to build a strong multimodal dimension for North Sea Port with an increasingly important role for low-emissions rail freight.

The local Lineas team is an effective service partner for local and international customers with an impressive track record.

Through this partnership, we continue to add value to North Sea Port as a key strategic economic hub in Europe.”.

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Jonesboro facility receives ‘Million Work Hours Safety Award’ UNITED STATES TrinityRail’s maintenance services facility in Jonesboro. Arkansas recently gained recognition from the State of Arkansas for reaching an incredible safety milestone – 1,000,000 hours without a lost time injury. The ‘Million Work Hours Safety Award’ was the culmination of more than two years of stellar safety performance, spanning March 5 2020 to March 29 2022.

The Jonesboro team celebrated the accomplishment on May 12 with an employee cookout and award presentation from the State of Arkansas’ Department of Labour director, Ralph Hudson.

“We’re making a big deal of this award, because it is a big deal,” said Plant Manager Bobby Ferrell. “At the end of the day, achievements like this are as important to your family as they are to Trinity.

“This award means no workers over the course of one million hours were forced to miss work because of a workplace incident that would have prevented them from providing for their family.”

The Jonesboro facility was one of just five Arkansas businesses to receive the award in the past year.

“It’s incredibly rare, but very important, for a company to have this kind of safety performance,” said Aaron Gooding, Senior Vice President of Maintenance Operations.

“I want to express my appreciation for everything the Jonesboro team did to achieve this result. Thank you for working safely and for taking care of each other and going home to your families whole every day.”

This achievement is the result of a joint effort by facili-

ty leadership and their employees to focus on safety. The Jonesboro facility has well-established safety programs and trainings, but also an employee-led safety committee made of team members from across the factory.

“We work with the EH&S (Environmental, Health and Safety) team to promote a safe work culture by engaging our coworkers, completing 5S projects, reviewing joint safety analyses, and making adjustments to ensure our work can be done safely,” said Kim Brown, Customer Service Administrator and Safety Committee Leader. 5S is a system for organizing spaces so work can be performed safely, efficiently, and effectively.

Safety culture

Brown got involved with the committee because she wanted to learn more about Trinity’s safety culture and how to keep everyone safe at work.

“This recognition is a huge milestone for Jonesboro. Just to be a part of it and see others be more safety-conscious has been amazing.”

Simply put, it takes everyone working as a team and focusing every day on safety to achieve this type of success says the company.

“When milestones like this are reached, it demonstrates to the organisation that profound goals can be reached when the programs are properly implemented and embraced by the employees,” added John Nadzan, Senior Director, EH&S, who added:. “There is always room for improvement, but the Jonesboro team is raising the bar for the rest of Trinity.”

www.freight-tracks.com June 20 2022 n 33

news review

UK rail strikes: ‘As bad as it gets’ for rail freight

EUROPEAN COMMISSION APPROVES €130 MILLION ITALIAN MEASURE TO SUPPORT RAIL FREIGHT

UNITED KINGDOM The Rail Freight Group (RFG) has urged the UK government, network operator Network Rail and the RMT (Rail, Maritime and Transport) union to urgently resolve their differences ahead of the planned rail strikes this week.

RMT announced that strikes would take place on the June 21, 23 and 25 of June, affecting key Network Rail staff including signallers.

Rail freight operators, customers and Network Rail have been working hard on contingency plans to keep as much freight operating as possible,

particularly for critical traffic. However, there is still expected to be significant disruption to services and to customers’ supply chains as a result of this action.

RFG Director General, Maggie Simpson OBE, said: “The pattern of proposed strike action is about as bad as it gets for rail freight, with disruption likely across the entire week and into the weekend.

Even with the plans that are in place, supply chains will be impacted, and it is really damaging to customer confidence in rail, and to future growth. We urge all parties to find a rapid solution to this damaging dispute.”

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ITALY The European Commission has approved a €130 million Italian scheme to support both the rail freight and rail commercial passenger sectors in the context of the coronavirus pandemic.

This follows another measure aimed at reducing track access charges that the Commission originally approved on March 24 2021 and that was subsequently amended.

The measure will enable Italy to relieve rail freight and rail commercial passenger operators of part of the costs related to track access charges (i.e. the charges that railway companies have to pay for the use of the rail network) during the period from January 1 to 31 March 31 2022.

The aim of the measure is to support rail operators by preserving their competitiveness as well as the shift of traffic from road to rail achieved prior to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Commission assessed the measure under EU state aid rules, in particu-

June 20 2022 @freighttracks

lar Article 93 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and the 2008 Commission Guidelines on State aid for railway undertakings, in conjunction with Regulation (EU) 2020/1429.

Proportionate measure

The Commission found that, in addition to supporting an environmental-friendly form of mobility such as rail transport, the measure is proportionate and necessary to achieve the objective pursued, namely to facilitate the modal shift from road to rail whilst not leading to undue competition distortions in the market.

On this basis, the European Commission approved the scheme under EU State aid rules. The non-confidential version of the decision will be made available under the case number SA.102270 in the State aid register on the Commission’s competition website once any confidentiality issues have been resolved.

news review

news review

UP funds trade school opportunities in Texas

UNITED STATES Through one-of-a-kind technical training programmes serving 11 southwest Texas counties, Southwest Texas Junior College (SWTJC) knows how to prepare students for their future. However, the college’s Diesel Technology Program in Eagle Pass, Texas recently had to turn some students away due to a lack of space and resources.

Inspired by the growing need for workforce development initiatives, Union Pacific is partnering with the college to expand industrial trade careers through the La Frontera (The Border) diesel programme expansion project.

This expansion expects to increase the programme’s admittance capacity by 40%, nearly doubling the 30 students the programme currently supports.

Supporting careers

Kick-starting the project is a $380,000 contribution from Union Pacific through the railroad’s Community Ties Giving Program, supporting the careers of hundreds of students in southwest Texas communities. The contribution focuses on

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the expansion of the diesel technology training area, as well as purchasing specialized, hands-on training equipment.

Spearheading Union Pacific’s involvement in the Diesel Program Expansion Project is Raquel Espinoza, senior director-Public Affairs, who emphasizes the need for diesel mechanics in the area.

She also said students will graduate from the program equipped with skills that would make them a good fit for the UP team.

“The goal of this partnership is to encourage students to continue their education and see themselves working as trade professionals at either Union Pacific or other successful companies,” said Johnny Guzman, SWTJC Dean of Applied Sciences. “These efforts will extend to various technical trade programs in the applied sciences and workforce education departments such as professional truck driving, powerline technician, welding technology and automotive technology.”

Southwest Texas Junior College’s Diesel Technology Program building expansion is expected to be completed in August 2023.

news review

I belong to Glasgow as city bids for green freeport

UNITED KINGDOM A multi-billion pound bid for an ambitious air, sea and rail economic zone on the River Clyde, backed by a unique public private partnership, is being finalised.Plans for Clyde Green Freeport are being prepared by AGS Airports’ Glasgow Airport, Peel Ports’ Clydeport, Mossend International Railfreight Park in North Lanarkshire and a partnership of the Glasgow City Region councils. The bid will be submitted later this month to the Scottish and UK governments for one of two green freeports in Scotland.

The multimodal initiative would attract major new investment to Glasgow City Region, develop global trading opportunities, create tens of thousands of new jobs, accelerate net zero objectives agreed at COP26, and take the region’s worldclass innovation economy to the next level.

Economic package A green freeport is a large, zoned area within a defined boundary which includes a rail, sea or airport. Operators and businesses in the zone can benefit from a package of tax and other incentives.

Clyde Green Freeport would maximise the area’s transport network and facilities at Glasgow Airport, the freight interchange at Mossend, Bellshill and four deep-water ports on the River Clyde. It would also make significant progress towards decarbonising the area’s transport infrastructure.

Businesses across Glasgow City Region are asked to back the bid and support the ambitious Clyde Green Freeport proposals.

“As Scotland’s economic powerhouse, Glasgow City Region is uniquely positioned to create a highly successful green freeport to put the country at the forefront of global trade and decarbonisation,” said Kevin Rush, Clyde Green Freeport Bid Senior Responsible Officer and Director of Regional Economic Growth for Glasgow City Region.

“We have everything necessary to make a successful bid: unrivalled connectivity across the UK and beyond; one of the most educated populations in the UK; a GVA of £47.3 billion and 33% of Scotland’s GDP; three world-class innovation districts; home to internationally acclaimed universities and research institutes; and renowned business expertise across key sectors of aerospace, advanced engineering, manufacturing, maritime and medical.

“Glasgow City Region is at the heart of the Scottish economy, providing most 30% of the country’s business base and 34% of its jobs.”

www.freight-tracks.com June 20 2022 n 37

KEEP THE DATE: Railway industry calendar of events

20-22 June 21-23 June 22 June 22-23 June 23 June 28 June-1 July 18 July 24-25 August 07-08 September 08 September 14-16 September 16-22 September 20-23 September 27 September 04-06 October 05 October 05-07 October 12-13 October 19-20 October 19-21 October November TBC 07-09 November 08-10 November 09 November 14-17 November 15-17 November 23-24 November 29 Nov - 01 Dec 07-08 December 08 December

Frankfurt, Germany Utrecht, Netherlands Berlin, Germany Valenciennes, France Berlin, Germany Beijing, China Lake Geneva, USA Halberstadt, Germany Warsaw, Poland London, UK Munich, Germany Europe Berlin, Germany Worldwide Berlin, Germany London, UK Prague, Chezchia Germany Debrecen, Hungary Berlin, Germany Barcelona, Spain Warsaw, Poland Amsterdam, Netherlands Stockholm, Sweden Lisbon, Portugal TBC Johannesburg, South Africa Malaga, Spain Duisberg, Germany Paris, France

VDV Annual Meeting RailTech Europe VPI Member Meeting and Get Together 2022 Business Meetings For The Railway Industry 22nd Technical Information Day UIC Highspeed Midwest Association of Rail Shippers (MARS) Summer Meeting CRSC Information Day and Member Meeting Rail Freight Summit RFG Awards Dinner 17th Conference on Critical Information Infrastructures Security European Mobility Week innoTrans World Freight Train Day EPCA Annual Meeting RFG Annual Conference International Rail Forum Conference Rail Infra Forum Rail Freight on Tour Deutsche Logistik Kongress BCNRAIL Internacional Rail Forum 9th International Transport & Logistics Exhibition Intermodal Europe Scandinavian Rail Optimisation Transport Research Arena Intelligent Rail Summit 2022 Africa Rail Rail Live 2022 European Silk Road Summit 101st UIC General Assembly

Lille France Birmingham, UK Milan, Italy

13th International Exhibition of Railway Technology Railtex Expo Ferroviaria

2023 28-30 March 09-11 May 03-05 October

If you would like your event listed here free of charge, just send details to freighttracks@gmail.com 38 n

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Hi CUBE BOXCARS

SMALL SCALE RAIL FREIGHT

DO YOU TAKE MILK?

In each issue of Freight Tracks we look at scale model versions of modern and old school freight rolling stock and infrastructure DAPOL O Gauge 6 Wheel Milk Tanker United Dairies

Yard

Limit Rail freight off-duty

Really? What were they thinking?

W

e have been looking at real-life developments likely to happen in the rail freight industry by 2032. We had to include this idea and ask: what were they thinking?

There is a delightful video on YouTube - where else? - showing this passenger pod and others rolling along the monorail in a range of unlikely transport scenarios (never with traffic coming the other way).

There was no suggestions that a freight version might have been in the offing. Imagine pallets and loads of goods hurtling down the median strip of a motorway to the anger of the truck drivers stuck in the immobile motorway traffic jams.

Not a new idea Like so much in life, it is rare for an idea, especially a technological one, to be completely new and original; indeed, most are just later and updates versions of existing and older one.

Indeed, this idea seems to be a reworking of a railway idea from the end of the 19th, beginning of the 20th century.

Contemporary reports on the earlier version report that it was a failure.

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.

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BECAUSE NOT ALL FREIGHT ON A TRAIN MOVES IN A BOX

visit: tankcontainermedia.com

RAILROADS HAVE BEEN CARRYING FREIGHT SINCE DAY 1.

IT’S NOW DAY 71,503.

WORLD FREIGHT TRAIN DAY 2022 will celebrate the drivers, yard staff, loaders, planners and workshop staff who get the freight through.

Freight Tracks will work with railroads and Freight Operating Companies to promote the importance of the modern freight train in the global supply chain. The date marks the day the world’s first public railway, the Stockton & Darlington Railway in England, opened.

That was 71,406 days ago today.

Join us as over the next seven months, we will plan a series of events and projects that salute the Freight Train in all its importance.

KEEP THE DATE:

September 27, 2022